Castle in hot water
by sharpe26
Summary: We know Castle can shoot, so what if he kills someone? also features OC in the form of Lt Joanna Palmer. Castle isn't mine. I'm just having a little fun with him every now and then. Rating has to do with the idea.Heavy stuff in the last chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Shot!

Lieutenant Joanna Palmer of the NYPD its Internal Affairs Division had a nickname; Ice Queen. Cops that found herself under her investigation usually found themselves ending up shattered, rather badly in some cases.

Palmer was in the observation room looking through the mirror, studying the man in the in the chamber. His jacket was on the table and the top button of his blouse was undone, she didn't recognize the brand, but in overall, the man now in her interrogation room had a rather ruggedly handsome appearance.

And that worried Palmer. Cops gone bad and some of the other assorted problems that found their way to Internal Affairs she could handle. Other civilians sure, but mystery writers like this guy...Palmer had this rather odd feeling she was out of her league, way out of her league.

Castle wasn't a cop, by a long shot she knew that for a certainty from the file the department now had on him. And the 12th had broken some rules by somehow giving him a gun for a brief time or two. And now the bosses had more or less ordered her to look into it. So the 12th abounded with rumors, most of which said something along the lines of the " the Ice Queen cometh"

A collective shock ran through the entire station when those rumors turned out to be true. That was the same day that Castle was summoned into Montgomery's office, alone. From there the Captain marched the author into said room and told him to wait.

" Problem, Lieutenant?" The voice of Roy Montgomery startled her " No sir, I just want to get a read on him." Montgomery managed to hide a chuckle rather successfully. He knew Castle. The Lieutenant would be in for quite a ride. She left him standing as she headed out.

Montgomery saw Castle writing in his little black book as Palmer entered the room. He saw the writer just barely glance at the door to where Palmer now stood " Mr Castle, I'm lieutenant Palmer."

Palmer walked into the room to the table where Castle now stood. As she got to the table he extended his hand " Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant."

" Usually there's one or two cops in this room and they're not really pleased to meet me, mr Castle." She produced her credentials and gave him time to look it over " Internal affairs, the police that police the police."

" Correct." Palmer smiled at first then frowned as Castle briefly shuddered " Anything wrong mr Castle?" Castle sat down at the same as she did " No, it's just that I'm reminded of one of Detective Beckett her cases. One of the suspects had just about the same lipstick as you have."

This time Montgomery did chuckle.

Palmer remained professional " Good thing you bring this up, because this is the reason I'm here." Castle nodded. " It went badly this time." The report on file had been very clear on this, and the author just reaffirmed it. Yet, Joanna Palmer didn't feel smug. Her curiosity wasn't even close to satisfied with the author's answer.

" What happened, Mr Castle?"


	2. Chapter 2

" What happened was this. We got a search warrant for the appartment of one Jayne Bluefield. Bluefield did a couple of robberies and in his spree there were fatalities." That was pretty much true. Palmer had read the case file that lead to the warrant which lead to why she was here.

" Any kind of indication there was something wrong?"

" No, Detective Beckett took all the necessary precautions for a take down with as less hassle as possible." He went on to describe how they all put on vests and assembled before stacking up on the door. Castle was to the rear of them, way way to the rear to be exact.

" As the detectives made entry I followed them in. They reached the designated apartment without any fuss." In her minds eye, Palmer envisioned the stack, with Castle to the rear. Nothing wrong there.

" Things went to hell when we went in."

Palmer observed the man before her. He didn't break a sweat as he was recounting the details. " We didn't know that Bluefield was prepared and had booby trapped the place." Palmer nodded again. All of this was in Montgomery's' report of the incident. So far so good. " What kind of booby trap was it anyway?"

Castle visibly shuddered, not knowing if he would ever forget the image of Ryan on the " Punji stick." He didn't feel the need to elaborate any further and Palmer didn't feel the need to pressure him any further either.

" There was something else we didn't know. Bluefield had an associate with him." Castle clearly remembered the man and his voice and how he had summoned the detectives to drop their weapons. Unless they wanted their friend to die, instantly.

This just had to be one of those cases where their friendship would be severely tested, Castle lamented in the corridor. Little did he know that things were going to get worse.

" Bluefield knew there were four of us. Once his associate had secured the three detectives he came out."

" Well now. It seems we're missing someone. Where's the other part of this dynamic quartet? Show yourself boy, unless you want these fine specimens of the human race to become extinct."

Castle sighed " It was the emphasis on the word extinct that made me do it. I stepped into the doorway with my hands up." Palmer did nothing in response.

" His eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw me. At the same time I noticed the associate still had a gun on the detectives, a gun, that never wavered!" Castle never figured he'd lose friends this way. It scared him, to death!

" Look at this, Gideon, they sent a writer after me!" Castle remarked that Bluefield's enthusiasm seemed to grow after he recognized him. " I suppose it's the price of fame." This elicited a chuckle from Palmer.

" I suppose it is, Mr Castle, please, go on."


	3. Chapter 3

Castle went on.

" I stepped inside the appartment, hands still raised."

" Now now Mr Castle a gentleman such as yourself should be aware of some of the rules and the etiquettes, should you not?" Castle nodded.

" That I am."

" Good, you may lower your hands." Castle slowly lowered his hands, not quite understanding but certainly suspecting yet not definitely knowing what Bluefield wanted.

" May I point your attention towards the wall over there." Castle eyes were lead to the wall. Here, two rather antiquated looking cavalry sabers were hanging on the wall. " Good, good, intelligence not wasted either I see."

Castle resumed the story from his own vantage point " Bluefield now produced a gun and to my own surprise, he dropped it."

" Then what?" Castle went on to describe to Palmer what happened next.

" I feel honored to find myself in the presence of a gentleman such as yourself, Mr Castle."

" The feeling isn't mutual I dare say." Castle didn't bother answering further. Bluefield smiled a sad smile.

" No, I suppose it isn't, considering the circumstances, but that is for later. For now other matters concern us. Now tell me, how did the gentlemen of bygone age solve their disputes?" One of Castle's eyes glanced wearily in the direction of the sabers, now fully knowing what Bluefield was intending.

" Through a duel."

" Very good, very good indeed. You are familiar with the expression that the pen is mightier then the sword, yes?"

Castle nodded " As it would seem. "

Bluefield nodded " You do seem willing towards me, Mr Castle."

Castle didn't bother to respond.

" Alright, I shall cut to the chase with a proposition."

Castle began mentally bracing himself.

" You may take one of the two sabers on the wall over there." A curt silent nod was the only thing he bothered with. At his own, relaxed, pace Bluefield came over as well and retrieved the other saber from the wall.

" Now Mr Castle, defend yourself!"


	4. Chapter 4

The impact of Bluefield's slashing attempt was jarring. Castle felt his teeth rattle and, there was something that amused his opponent as he attempted as a second stroke which Castle parried again. " Most interesting, for someone of your accomplished penmanship to be adept with the sword, ironic."

From the other side of the room, Kate Beckett gulped. Castle and irony, a weakness if she ever knew it. Yet to her own surprise, Castle took it well " I'm not sure I agree with you." The two sword fighters circled each other, Castle had planned to eye Beckett, just to let her know he would and could deal with his opponent.

That part of the plan worked. Yet it also created another problem, in the form of Gideon. " Gideon, should I lose this duel to the esteemed gentleman here, you are to kill the four people here and make good your escape."

Castle wasn't sure that was such a good idea, but he knew he shouldn't let his passion for Beckett guide him. So, he did something unexpected.

He attacked.

Bluefield was unprepared Castle noted as his own thrust was parried with a sloppy move that belied the intelligence behind the plan. So, determined to make the best of a very bad situation, Castle kept up his ever increasing attacks.

Thrust, stroke slash and parry. As time went by, Castle grew confident that Bluefield had nowhere near the experience of even Alexis her teachers . And another plan made a way into his brain via high speed railroad. It took him even less time to act on it.

Beckett watched as Castle feinted and gave Bluefield an opening. An opening he put to good use by thrusting his saber forward. Behind her she heard Ryan gasp as Castle neatly sidestepped the thrust and then brought his own saber down.

Bluefield cried out in pain as Rick Castle neatly slit his wrist. It made him drop the saber he was holding.

" Gideon!"

" One moment!" Castle's outcry was enough to delay the two men.

" Don't the condemned get a last wish?" Castle saw Bluefield's eyes narrow. It was a long shot, but worth it, and apparently Bluefield felt so too. " Don't let it be known that Jayne Bluefield was never a gentleman. Make your wish."

" I wish to gaze upon the faces of the three best friends I have ever had." Inadvertently, Kate rolled her eyes. Castle could be such a drama queen sometimes. And then there was that little voice in her head that whispered that dieing was certainly not on her agenda today.

Castle got down on one knee in front of her. Where this another situation, Kate figured she would have been flattered. Now she was not so sure, the next moment she noticed Castle's eyes, and the position of his body. She kept her focus on his eyes, because there she saw it all. The anger, the pain, the love for her.


	5. Chapter 5

And he could see it all in her eyes, the desperation, the fear and the solution. A very thin smile formed on his lips as he watched her pull out her backup piece. Their eyes told each other all they needed to know. Without saying a word, Castle stepped to the right, still holding the saber.

Gideon was on the ground not 2 seconds later, bleeding profusely from two exit wounds.

The pause that filled the interrogation room was telling Montgomery noticed. According to the reports this would have been the hard part and Castle knew it too because he visibly sagged.

" And then it happened." he resumed automatically.

" How's Ryan doing?" Castle asked, bending over to see what kind of damage the booby trap had done. The young detective had turned a rather interesting few shades of white and his partner, the always stoically though Esposito mirrored it.

" I'm worried, he's not lost a lot of blood yet, but I'd rather not remove that... thing either."

" Must be Lanie rubbing off on you." Ryan observed through clenched teeth.

" Save your strength, bro, you're gonna need it."

" CASTLE! WATCH OUT!"

In the distance there was an audible thud as Kate was unceremoniously thrown to the floor. Then there was the rush of running feet followed by a sound the description of which would only appear in the report of Javier Esposito.

It was a site that no one would ever forget.

Bluefield had managed to make enough speed to impale himself on Castle's saber.

" Not...very...gentleman like." then he collapsed onto the floor. Not 5 minutes later backup arrived.

In the interrogation room Castle exhaled briefly but sharply. Palmer eyed her notes. Perhaps it was indeed time to give it a rest. " I think I've heard enough for now, Mr Castle. We'll investigate this further and we'll be in touch should the situation warrant it. You're free to go, for now, but..."

" Don't leave town?"

The look he got in reply told him more then enough. Palmer then gathered up her things and left the door open. As Castle left the room he ran straight into Beckett her arms. " How are you?"

" I've been better." Beckett recognized the look. She had been where Castle now was and he had been there for her. She knew what she had to do. " Come on, I'll take you home."

FIN


End file.
